Stocking-supporter



.(No Model.)

J. H. PILKINGTON.

. STOCKING SUPPORTBR. No. 542,805. Patented July 16, 1895.

WITNESSES h Z12. 2A 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. PILKING'ION, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

STOCKlNG-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 542,805, dated July 16, 1895.

Application filed June 6, 1895. Serial No. 551,905. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI; JOSEPH H. PILKINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at (aterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stocking-Supporters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a garment-supporter so constructed that after it has been placed in position on a stocking or other garment by a sliding movement of one member the supporter may be locked to the stocking in such a manner that it cannot be accidentally detached therefrom, and, furthermore, to provide a supporter of this class which will work equally Well upon light or heavy stockings, will hold either a light or heavy stocking firmly, and will not injure either to the slightest extent.

With these ends in View I have devised the novel garment-supporter which I will now describe, referring by letters and numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing the supporter in the locking-position Fig. 2, an edge view corresponding therewith; Fig. 3, a' view corresponding with Fig. 1, showing the supporter in the unlocked position; Fig. 4, an

elevation of one member of the supporter detached, and'Fig. 5 is a rear elevation showing the other member detached.

A and B denote the two members which comprise my novel supporter.

I have shown both members of'my novel supporter as made of sheet metal, although either or both may be made of wire if preferred. The essential requirements are that member -A shall be provided with a slot 1, at the lower end of which is a neck 2, and below the neck a recess 3, the side of the recess opposite to neck 2 being practically closed, but not solid, the lower side of the recess being in fact formed by projections 4, which approach each other closely, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Below projections 4 is an opening 5, at the lower end of which is a slot 6. This slot 1 or recess 3.

have shown member A as provided with a slot 7, through which the textile material is passed, folded back upon itself, and stitched in the usual manner, the end of the textile strip extending downward and being attached to member B in any suitable manner. In the present instance I have shown member B as provided with a slot 8, through which the textile strip is passed, folded back upon itself, and then stitched in the usual manner. Member B consists essentially of a shank 9, having rigidly secured thereto at its upper end a stud 10, having an enlarged head 11, and at its lower end a stud 12, having an enlarged head 13. j

In use member B lies under member A, as clearly shown in the drawings. Stud 10 lies in slot 1 and is adapted to engage said slot and recess 3 freely and to just pass through neck 2 when pressed with a little force, it

being necessary in order to pass the stud through the neck to spring the sides of member A outward from each other-that is, to cause projections 4 to spread sufficiently to permit stud 10 to pass through the neckthe resiliency of the metal of member A causing the sides to spring back to place as soon as the stud has been passed through the neck and. into recess 3, when member B is moved downward relatively to member A, or into slot 1.when member Bis moved upward relatively to member A. Projections 4 approach'each other closely enough so that the stud cannot under any circumstances pass between them, and head 11 is made large enough so that it will under no circumstances pass through Enlarged head 13 on stud 12 is made large enough so that it cannot pass through slot 6 in member A, and opening 5 in said member is made large enough to receive enlarged head 13 freely, and also a fold or ply of a thick stocking or other garment.

. The operation is as follows: In attaching the supporter to a stocking or other garment member A is moved downward relatively to member B to substantially the position shown in Fig. 3. A fold of the stocking or other garment is then placed over head 13 on stud 12, member A being lifted sufliciently to permit the fold of stocking to pass under it, after which member B is pressed forward relatively to member A, so that head 13, carrying the fold of stocking, will pass forward through opening 5. Member B is then moved downward relatively to member A, which places stud 12 in slot 6, enlarged head 13, with the fold or ply of stocking or other garment, lying on the upper side of member A.

It will be apparent from Fig. 3 that when the members arein such a position relatively to each other that enlarged head 13 will register with opening 5, stud 10 will be near the upper end of slot 1. \Vhen stud 12, therefore, is moved downward into slot 6, stud 10 is also moved downward in slot. 1 and is forced through neck 2, the sides of member A, as already explained,-springing outward sufliciently to permit the stud to pass the neck. When stud 10 has passed. neck 2, stud 12 will be at the lower end of slot 6, the fold of stocking will be retained firmly in position by means of enlarged head 13 and slot 6, and stud 10 will be locked in recess 3,150 that in ordinary use it will be impossible for member B to move upward relatively to member A to release the stocking, it being practically impossible to release the stocking or to detach the supporter therefrom while stud 12 is lying in slot 6, as in Figs. 1 and 2. In order to release the stocking, therefore, it is necessary to move member B upward relatively to memberA and to force stud 10 from thelocked position, as in Fig. 2, upward through the neck until it shall lie in slot 1. Head 13 on stud 12 will then register with opening 5 in member A and the supporter may readily be removed from the stocking.

Owing to the fact that the two members of my novel supporterare firmly locked together when moved to the locking position, the supporter is admirably adapted for both ladies and childrens use, and is especially adapted for children, owing to the fact that it is practicallyimpossible to detach it from the stocking without moving members A and B relatively to each other, said members being so constructed that there is no danger of their moving accidentally.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- A garment supporter consisting of a member B provided with studs 10 and 12 having enlarged heads, and a member A having a slot and a recess adapted to receive stud l and between said slot and recess a neck through which said stud may be passed and whereby it may be locked in said recess, an opening adapted to receive the head of stud 12 freely together with a fold of garment and below said opening a slot 6 into which said stud may be passed, the head of stud 12 with a fold of garment lying upon the upper side of member A and stud lying in recess 3 in which position it is locked by the neck, so that the members are held in position relatively to each other and the garment is held firmly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH I-I. PILKINGTON.

\Vitnesses:

FRED W. NETTLETON, GEORGE E. PILKINGTON. 

